Time To Get To Get Ready For Starbase Indy With All the Fixins’

Beaming in to this year’s Starbase Indy will be the top-gun Viper pilot in Galactica’s fleet, a Jaffa rebel leader and warrior from Stargate SG-1, and the female security chief from Capt. Picard’s Enterprise. Convention action runs Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24-26, in the Marriott East, 7202 E. 21st St., Indianapolis, Indiana.

Starbase Indy is a fan-run convention in its 11th year. At the convention, attendees have multiple opportunities to interact with the stars. In addition, the laid-back atmosphere and varied programming provide a perfect opportunity to meet old friends or to build new friendships that will last a lifetime.

The guest lineup for Starbase Indy: The 11th Generation includes Katee Sackhoff, Christopher Judge, Denise Crosby, Gary Jones, Alexis Cruz, Manny Coto, Gary Graham, Dean Haglund, Deborah Downey, David Reddick and Tim Brazeal. For more information and to register, go to the StarBase Indy Website.

Other events include the masquerade, tentatively set for 8 p.m. Friday; Dinner with the Stars on Saturday night; and a special surprise performance featuring most of the guests on Sunday. Other activities include gaming, a CSI workshop, and programs on astronomy. Starbase Indy also supports two charities: Cats Haven, a no-kill shelter for cats and kittens; and the Children’s Bureau, helping care for Indiana’s children who have no other options. Toys for Tots will also be set up at the convention.

Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on the new Battlestar Galactica, will make her only U.S. convention appearance in 2006 at Starbase Indy. Her Starbuck is not your stereotypical female. The cigar-smoking, card-playing Starbuck is bold, bucks authority and disobeys orders when she believes she’s right. Katee will be at opening ceremonies Friday, will be on stage Saturday and will attend the Saturday night Dinner with the Stars.

Christopher Judge plays Teal’c, the foe-turned-friend of the Stargate SG-1 team. Teal’c is a Jaffa of strength, honor and loyalty who chose to fight the Goa’uld, powerful beings who demanded worship as gods and who tyrannized his people. As a stranger in a strange land, he also offers a bemused opinion of the human condition. Christopher will be at the Saturday night Dinner with the Stars and will be at the convention Sunday.

Denise Crosby played Lt. Tasha Yar, the original security officer on Capt. Picard’s Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She later returned to play Tasha’s daughter Sela, a half-Romulan officer who bedeviled her mother’s shipmates. She also produced and hosted the documentaries “Trekkies” and “Trekkies 2” about the Star Trek fan phenomenon.

Manny Coto, who was one of the executive producers and writers during the final season of Enterprise, brought a refreshing outlook and a steady hand on the helm. He resolved several story continuity issues and brought the Vulcans back from a devious and disagreeable reputation to a race that would be governed by logic and honor by Spock’s time. He is now executive producer and writer of the hit show 24 on the Fox network.

Gary Graham played one of those disagreeable Vulcans on Enterprise in the early seasons as Ambassador Soval. He later saw the logic of assisting Captain Archer and Earthers and aided in the founding of the Federation. Gary is also known to science fiction fans as the policeman on Alien Nation, Detective Matt Sikes, who learned to empathize with the spotted-headed aliens stranded on earth.

Gary Jones has been the quiet but steady presence of Master Sgt. Walter Harriman in the control room of the Stargate since season one. He’s the officer who dials in locations for the Stargate teams’ missions and monitors incoming activity. Dean Haglund and Gary will do their Kirk vs. Spock comedy routine during the Saturday night Dinner with the Stars.

Alexis Cruz played Skaara in the movie Stargate and the series Stargate SG-1. Col. Jack O’Neill took a liking to the alien youth who aided his team against the Goa’uld and regarded him almost as a son. Skaara later was invaded by a Goa’uld symbiote and turned against the SG-1 team.

Dean Haglund played Langly, one of The Lone Gunmen on The X-Files. The Lone Gunmen were computer geeks, hired to do jobs the X-files agents wouldn’t. The Lone Gunmen later had their own show for one season. Dean will do an X-Files improvisation on Friday.

Tim Brazeal, founder of TrekUnited, is back again this year with the latest news in the Trek world. Brazeal founded the “Save Enterprise” movement, which had remarkable success in gaining fan backing and donations to save the series.

Deborah Downey appeared in “The Way to Eden” in the original Star Trek series. She played one of the space hippies in that episode and joined Mr. Spock for a jam session.

And back as emcee this year is David Reddick, best known to StarTrek.com fans as the cartoonist for the weekly series “The Trek Life.”